The game of golf presents participants with a unique mixture of challenge and recreation. Overall, golf is widely embraced by the international population, and there is a continual desire to overcome the challenges inherent in the game thus increasing a golfer's enjoyment of the sport.
With an ever increasing population of golfers, professional and recreational alike, the sophistication of golf equipment has grown by leaps and bounds, all in an effort to simplify this difficult sport. Golf clubs have taken advantage of different materials, such as graphite, and shapes to increase power and accuracy. Golf balls are also now made from a multitude of materials offering a golfers improved distance and accuracy. Even golf apparel has changed to keep the golfer comfortable and allow the unrestricted movement of the golfer's body during a swing. Golf shoes too have seen an evolution over the life of the sport in material selection and design. The reason for this change in golf shoes can best be appreciated by first understanding a proper golf swing and then a review of at least partially advantageous golf shoes.
A proper golf swing requires a good foundation, stability and balance, each of which is made more difficult due to the great deal of rotational movement in the body of a golfer. Note that, the description of a golfer's swing is often described hereinafter for a right handed golfer. As will be appreciated, the principles of a golf swing operate similarly for a left handed golfer. At the beginning, a right-handed golfer's weight is evenly distributed between both sides of a golfer's body. During the backswing the golf club is swung back towards the foot furthest from the pin, the rear foot. As the golf club travels back towards the rear foot, the golfer's upper body begins to rotate and thus the club follows, sweeping up and out a generally circular path. This, in turn, causes a rotation of the hips (rear) which influences the rear leg and ultimately the rear foot. Looking down, the front portion of a golfer's rear foot is apt to rotate out, and the back portion of the rear foot is apt to rotate in, thus resulting in an overall clockwise (counter-clockwise for a left-handed golfer) rotation of the rear foot. The backswing continues until the club head reaches a desired point from which a downswing will impart a preferred force on the golf ball.
The golfer is now ready to begin the downswing during which the golf club will sweep out a similar circular path traversed through the backswing until it strikes the ball. As the golfer executes the downswing, the cleats of the golfer's shoes preferably brace the golfer. Unfortunately, however, known soft spike-type cleats provide only minimal bracing, as the cleats often times “roll over” or otherwise give as the torque of the golfer's body during a swing exerts forces thereon, as described further below.
During the follow through the golf club is carried forward and up causing a rotation in the upper body opposite the rotation of the backswing. During both the downswing and follow through weight is shifted towards the front leg. This action too causes a rotation in the front leg and ultimately the front foot. Looking down, the front portion of a golfer's front foot is apt to rotate out and the back portion of the front foot is apt to rotate in, thus resulting in an overall counterclockwise (clockwise for a left-handed golfer) rotation of the front foot.
Spikes in the bottom sole of a golf shoe preferably operate to improve traction during these swing movements. If the spikes are successful then a golfer may see improved distance and accuracy. Many attempts have been made at designing spikes to serve this purpose each with inherent advantages and disadvantages.
Originally, golf shoes were made with metal spikes attached to the bottom soles. These spikes provided an adequate brace against the different forces of each foot associated with a golf swing. However, extending substantially entirely orthogonally to the sole of the shoe, such spikes do little to counter the above-described rotational movement of the golfer's feet. Moreover, these metal spikes often leave spike marks behind causing excessive damage to the golf course, especially the greens. In fact, many golf courses have taken the step of banning golfers from using metal spikes on their shoes. Therefore, though providing generally adequate bracing capabilities, a great deal of effort has gone into developing alternative material spikes that provide improved bracing capabilities while minimizing the divots left behind.
Many attempts have been made at using rubber spikes in the bottom sole of a golf shoe. These spikes have provided some bracing capabilities, and are more green friendly, but generally lack stiffness. Specifically, as noted previously, such spikes have a tendency to “roll-over” during play, and therefore do not adequately counter rotational movement of a golfer's foot. Moreover, as a result, the spikes often break or fray and thus have to be replaced all too frequently.
As a golfer walks a golf course and the surrounding areas he encounters a multitude of surfaces; grass, sand, mud, rock, and cement, to name a few. Grass and mud often get caught in the spikes, especially as they roll over, thus causing the bracing provided by the shoes to be further compromised. With respect to harder surfaces, they have a tendency to wear down rubber spikes more quickly. For example, cement is likely the most damaging surface and it is often encountered when the golfer is entering and leaving the course.
Most of these spikes have a circular base with multiple barbs extending from the base to the ground. Often these barbs are placed peripherally around the outside edge of the circular base forming a spike. However, many of these spikes have blunt, bulky barbs that are unable to penetrate the plethora of surfaces encountered on a golf course. In sum, these spikes cannot provide adequate resistance to the rotational movement of a golfer's feet associated with a golf swing.
What is missing in the field of golf shoes and spikes is an apparatus which is appropriately designed to allow a golfer's shoe to engage one or more types of surfaces encountered on a golf course, provide improved bracing (e.g., minimize “roll over”), and resist and release appropriately in response to rotational movement of a golfer's feet during a golf swing, while also being readily retrofittable to most any golf shoe. Conventional plastic cleats especially fail against metal spikes in providing grip on wet grass, withered grass or slopes. The plastic cleats are known to be far more difficult to keep clean, which is a concern of golfers playing in adverse weather conditions. Some manufacturer's recognize this problem and supply special cleaning tools for keeping the spikes clean of debris. This invention relates generally to the field of golfing accessories and more specifically to a multipurpose golf accessory tool.